Petals in a Hurricane
by Sheba's Fire
Summary: Seventeen year old Desirae is living in a cruel world of slavery and vampires. All she knows is evil and hatred. Can she find the strength to take control of her life, and learn to trust again in order to find true love?
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hi Everybody! I am hoping that you all enjoy this new story... we'll give it a go and see what you all think. Please R&R and let me know if you like it so far. Enjoy!**

_The fire blazed all around. The heat was so intense, the smoke so thick that I coughed, trying to clear my lungs of the smoke. I could hear people behind me, men, laughing and making jokes, as though they were watching a sporting event. I turned in time to see one of the men, a tall, broad man, spot me hiding in the bushes, and start to make his way quickly towards me. I got up and ran, fleeing into the forest. I had to get away, run as far away as possible…_

_The fire was spreading rapidly behind me as I stumbled away as fast as I could. If either the man or the fire caught up with me…_

_A force from behind knocked me off my feet to the ground, crushing the air out of my lungs. The man grabbed my arms and tried to force them behind me. His knee dug into my back, and my neck was pressed against a rock, cutting off my air. I struggled, but it was no good; he was too strong. I could feel the heat of the fire gaining behind us, gaining, bringing along with it the thick, black, choking smoke…_

My eyes snapped open, and my breathing heavy; my body drenched in sweat. I focused on calming my heartbeat, bringing it down to a semi-normal rate. I had been having this nightmare for as long as I could remember. Well, that's not entirely true. Since I was six. Six and eight months, to be exact. However, the dream was fading slightly now, since eleven. I couldn't't see the man's face anymore, nor picture the burning house. Only a shadowy face and vivid fire were there, where sharp, clear memories had once been.

I changed my thought train. Best to start thinking about the rest of the day, not dwelling on the past. I had learned this the hard way. The past isn't't going to help you survive the present, so you might as well focus everything on just staying alive. Going back to sleep wasn't an option; I wouldn't be able to so much as shut my eyes again without the image of the fire burning in my head. Besides, I could hear the sounds of the day's baking being started in the kitchen. I'd have to get up in another forty-five minutes anyway.

I eased myself out from under the blankets and into the cold, pre-dawn air. It was never warm in the servant's quarters in the morning, but usually a fire was lit in the hearth, taking the crisp edge out of the air. Apparently the fire-tenders hadn't made their rounds yet. My feet hit cold stone floor, and a chill ran up my spine. I felt around my bedside table for the candle and matches I had left there last night. Finding them, I lit a match and then the candle with a practiced ease. I was good at doing things in the dark, seeing as the castle was dimly lit during the day and nearly pitch black at night.

Shadows flickered off the stone walls of the small room. It was not bigger than a closet; just big enough to fit a cot covered in two thick blankets, and a small night table next to it. A chair sat pushed in the corner by the door, and the day's outfit sat slung over the back of it. It was a threadbare dress, a grayish color, with three-quarter length sleeves and a simple V neck. Stains were spattered on the skirt, but they were covered by the cream apron that I wore over it.

I slipped quickly into the dress, shivering as the cold material hugged my slender frame, and neatly folded the nightgown I had been wearing. I opened the drawer of the night table and placed the nightgown on the small pile of clothes that already occupied the drawer. Servants weren't allowed many comforts, if any, but I was more fortunate than most. Just the two outfits that I owned, along with my pen and paper, were such a blessing. So was the room, along with the blankets and cot. The other servants in the household all slept in one large room; some with cots, and some just with pallets on the floor. They all thought I was lucky to have these meager comforts, but they didn't know that I would give all of these and more, just to be a normal servant like them. Only having to worry about doing the daily chores and doing them right.

I slipped on my shoes and reaching for my candle, quietly opened my door. I shivered again as another cold blast of air hit me from the hallway. I turned to the left, walking down the stone corridor, and into the large room at the end.

The kitchen was already bustling with activity. Three or four girls hustled around the kitchen cooking breakfast so it would be ready for the rest of the servants before they had to start work. I sat down at the small wooden table that sat off to one side and watched the action for a couple of minutes, immersed in my own thoughts.

A hand came down gently on my shoulder causing me to jump. I looked around quickly, but relaxed when I saw it was just the cook, Mary. She was an plump, middle-aged woman, who's hair had grayed prematurely. I smiled at her warmly, glad to see her before the day began.

'Good morning Mary.'

'And good morning to you, Desirae. Another bad dream?' Mary was used to these mornings when I came in early. When I had come to the castle, Mary had been the one to help settle me in. Over the years, she had been like a second mother to me. She was there when I cried, had nightmares, or just needed someone to talk to. She knew me better then anyone else ever could, and she always seemed to know what was wrong, even when I didn't know myself.

I nodded. 'Yea. It was the one with the man again. And the fire. But it's getting fuzzy. I can't remember his face, or the house anymore. Still, I couldn't get back to sleep, so I figured I'd come out here and see you.'

Mary smiled as she put a biscuit and some eggs on a plate for me. Most mornings I didn't eat, but I quickly cleaned my plate so Mary wouldn't scold me for being too thin.

'The dreams will get better with time. You said yourself that they are coming less and less frequently of late. Anyways, what is on your to-do list for the day?' Mary talked over her shoulder as she bustled around the kitchen, getting ready for the breakfast rush.

'Just the usual; laundry, serving, you know. The master is having a dinner party tonight, so I'll have to serve for that.' I made a face. The master's dinner parties were always so long and boring, but I didn't have a choice but to stand waiting to be called on to get more food or drink.

Mary frowned slightly, the wrinkles growing more pronounced on her face. 'You know I don't like you serving those. Just promise me you'll be careful, wont you?'

'Of course.' I rolled my eyes. Just a motherly thing to do, worry about everything.

The first couple servants staggered into the kitchen, still rubbing sleep out of their eyes. I got up from the table and deposited my dirty plate in the sink. Kissing Mary lightly on the cheek, I made my way out the door of the kitchen and into the grounds. I had about a half hour before my duties started, so I hurried out to the stables for a quick visit. I stopped at a stall halfway down the aisle and clicked to the horse that was in it. He made his way to the stall door, which read _Apollo_, and rubbed his head against my hand. He was a beautiful chestnut color, with black mane and tail and white sock on his front two legs.

'Good Morning my little beauty.' I whispered. 'Sorry but I didn't bring you anything today… you know how much trouble I got into the last time I brought you a snack.' Apollo looked at me with his large brown eyes, almost knowingly, but I could see he was still waiting for a snack. The last time I had brought him one, just a simple carrot and an apple core, the stable master had caught me. I lost my meals for the rest of that day and the next. He said that if I wanted to waste good food on feeding animals, then I would be giving them my own dinner.

I loved Apollo as if he were my own. I had been there when he was born, and had helped Mira, the stable girl, raise him when his mother had abandoned him. Riding him, however, was out of the question. The servants weren't allowed to so much as saddle one of the master's horses without dire consequences. Oh, just for one ride on this beautiful creature…

I stood there admiring him for a few more minutes, then when up and down the rest of the aisle patting all the horses as I went. Once I had made sure I saw every horse at least once, I made my way back to the castle and back into the kitchen to grab a plate of breakfast to bring up to the master. One of the girls who had been working there earlier handed me the silver tray, giving me a sympathetic look, and glancing longingly at the contents of the tray. Even though the plate was covered, I still knew from experience what was under the lid. Eggs, bacon, biscuits, butter… everything a servant could only dream of. I had learned though, not to think too much about what I was carrying, or else I would go crazy just from the want of it.

Walking out of the kitchen and into the main hall, I clutched the tray tightly, careful not to spill a drop. If I did this right, I wouldn't get into any trouble this morning, and maybe the day would be alright.

I hurried up the main staircase and down a hall ending in wide double doors. Balancing the tray perilously in one hand I took a deep breathe and knocked loudly three times on the door.

'Come in,' came the deep voice from behind the wood. I carefully turned the handle to the right door while keeping the tray balanced. I turned carefully so my back was to the door and used it to push the door fully open while I grabbed hold of the tray with both hands again. It had taken a lot of practice before I had finally gotten the art of opening the doors, but because I had been doing it for seven years, I'd had plenty of time.

As I entered the room, I kept my eyes focused on the plush carpet just ahead of my feet, careful not to raise my eyes above waist height. I set the tray down at the large oak desk that stood facing the door. Pulling the cover off the plate, I set it down in front of the man sitting at the desk, then followed that with the orange juice and silverware wrapped in a napkin. Stepping back, I grabbed the tray and the pitcher, and backed up to stand quietly against the wall while the man ate.

As I backed quickly away, I risked a quick glance up at the master. His real name was Adrian, although if any of us dared to even whisper the name, or any name other than master, we were punished so severely we couldn't walk for days. He was a handsome man by nearly every standard; ink black hair, a handsome face, high cheek bones. A black suit covered his muscular frame, the buttons on the jacket opened to show the white dress shirt underneath. He could have easily passed as a thirty year old business man. But I knew better. The first thing that I had ever noticed about him was his eyes. They were a deep brown, almost black, like everything else about him. But they held a coldness; a hardness that had scared me since the first day I met him.

That day had been just after my parents died, and I had been brought to the castle. I was brought before him, and pushed to the floor at his feet, crying. He had leaned over, put his hand under my chin and brought my tear streaked face up to look at his own. Just seeing his eyes had made me cry harder. I cried for my parents, for my house, my dog. He told me sternly to stop crying, and when I didn't he smacked my cheek, startling me into being quiet. That was my first bruise in the castle, but definitely not my last. And not the only one given to me by the master.

After I first met him, Adrian seemed to take a liking to me. Although I was still a servant by all means, I was given slightly different treatment than the others, as well as small privileges. My room for example, and my pen and paper. I brought the master breakfast from the time I turned ten, and served him whenever he had guests over. I was at his beck and call. No matter what I was in the middle of, if I was called for by the master, I dropped what I was doing and ran to him as fast as I could, even if it was just to sit in his room with him; a presence while he worked. I had found out quickly that speed was essential to the master. If something wasn't done fast enough for him, or it wasn't done to the best quality possible, I was punished either with slaps, kicks, punches, or even whippings. I may have been the master's favorite, but that didn't put me above the same punishments the other's got, if not worse.

'Desirae. Come over here.' I glanced up quickly from my spot on the floor, and saw that he was looking at me intently. I slowly made my way over to where he was sitting, and put the tray and pitcher down next to the now empty plate. Adrian got up from where he was sitting, and motioned for me to sit down. I lowered myself warily into the seat, not wanting to disobey, but unsure of what was going to happen.

Adrian spun the chair around to face a mirror that was hanging on the wall to the left of the desk. He stood behind the chair, watching me carefully in the mirror. I, however, kept my eyes averted. That was another way I had learned to stay out of unneeded trouble. Avoid eye contact, and you seem less rebellious, more submitted. That's how Adrian like to see his servants. Especially me.

I felt, and saw, his hands lay on my shoulders, then slide to my neck, finally resting on my chest right below my throat, his thumbs almost touching behind my shoulder blades.

'What happened to the necklace I gave you?' he asked quietly, just sounding curious, but I knew there was an underlying threat and power that lay behind the question. When I didn't answer right away, his thumbs pressed into my back, not quite painful, but growing closer to pain with every second I stayed quiet.

'In my room. In the night table that you gave me.' The fingers loosened, but my muscles were still tense.

'And what, might I ask, is the purpose of a necklace?'

'To wear.' I was careful to keep my tone respectful and not show a hint of sarcasm.

'Exactly. So do you think that I would give you a necklace just so you could leave it in your drawer?'

'No master. I'm sorry. I won't do it again.' All my muscles were tense and tight, waiting for whatever would happen next.

'This is the only time I am going to warn you. If I see you again without it on…' his threat lingered in the air. I didn't let any of my emotions show on my face, controlling them using the tactics I had learned over all my years of having to conceal them. My mind, however, was racing with fear, anger and anxiety.

Adrian's hands moved up to touch my hair, curling it around his fingers. The brown of the waves contrasted sharply against his pale white skin. We stayed like this for what seemed like eternity; him studying me in the mirror, and me sitting there trying to appear as small and submissive as possible. Maybe I could still make it out…

'Get up.' The command came sharply and unexpectedly, making me jump slightly. Mentally I berated myself for letting him surprise me like that, and even more for letting it show. I stood up carefully, but quickly from the chair, folding my hands in front of me. I lifted my eyes to see that he was coming up behind me. He brushed my hair to one side of my neck and put both hands on either side of my waist, tightly, but not so tightly it hurt. My eyes shut as I prepared for what I knew was going to happen next. And I was so sure I would get out this morning…

Adrian leaned his face in towards my neck and just breathed in my scent for a minute. I braced myself, muscles tensing, legs locking. But all he did was lean in and brush a soft kiss just below my ear. I could hear him chuckling softly under his breathe at my fear, which he must have known was there, as much as I tried to hide it. Mind games. That was another way that he liked to control people, along with physical punishments. After a second he backed up, letting go of me, and sitting back down at his desk.

'You may go.'

I grabbed the tray and pitcher, piled the used dishes back on the tray, and walked at a respectful pace to the doors. As soon as the doors shut behind me, however, I fled down the halls back to the kitchen.


	2. Chapter 2

After I had put the tray and contents in the kitchen to be washed, I rushed back to my tiny room before going to start my other daily chores. I pulled the drawer open and fished under my clothes to the wooden bottom. My hand closed around a velvet box, no bigger than my palm. I pulled it out, and pausing before I opened the lid, I took a deep breathe. I didn't want to wear it… it would cause me to stand out amongst the other servants, and mark me as special. But I didn't have much of a choice, did I? If I didn't put it on, I ran the risk of a whipping, or worse.

I carefully lifted the lid, and inside, laying on a black velvet cushion lay a thin silver chain with a delicate metal rose petal attached to it. It was truly a beautiful necklace, much nicer than anything I had owned in my life. The thing that disturbed me about the necklace, however, was the blood red color of the petal. It reminded me too much of things I didn't want to think of.

Something that most people, even most of the servants, didn't know, was that the master wasn't just an ordinary man. He was more. Or less, depending on how you looked at it. He was a vampire; one of the sons of night. Although, I had learned over the years, that the classic portrait of a vampire didn't fit Adrian, or any of his friends. Yes, they drank blood from humans, but that is where the similarities end. They could walk in the light, be seen in mirrors (as this morning had shown), and eat real food. This last thing helped him to keep his secret from most of the servants. They all though of him just as a tyrannical master; but I knew better.

I had been Adrian's "blood slave" since I had come to live at the castle, around the age of six and a half. He drank from some of the other servants, but they never seemed to remember what happened the next morning. It was different for me though, I always remembered; never forgot. He didn't drink from me often, but I was always afraid of those days when his hunger would overpower him, and I would once again be subject to his fangs.

I looked back down at the necklace, and drew it out of the box. Using my sense of touch I clasped the necklace behind my neck, and felt the cold metal laying on my bare skin. I shivered slightly from the coldness of the necklace, and closing the box, placed it back in the bottom of the drawer.

…

I had just finished the tedious task of walking around the castle, both floors, and the servants quarters to find all the clothing that needed to be laundered. As usual, there wasn't many servant's clothing, seeing as they had to wash their outfits at night, because they didn't have a backup set. Carrying the basket to the washrooms, I made my way down a dimly lit hall behind the main dining room. Thoughts about the morning filled my head; the memory of the fear that Adrian caused me wasn't easily forgotten.

A soft voice startled me, and I whirled around to see a short girl, about my age, hustling down the passage after me. Her blonde hair was tied back in a bun, and she was wearing a dress similar to my own.

'Crystal!' I dropped the basket I was carrying and rushed towards the girl, who grabbed me in a tight embrace. 'Oh I missed you so much! When did you get back?' I let go of Crystal and held her at arms length.

'I just got back this morning. I've been looking for you since we got in. Oh, Desirae, you wouldn't _believe_ how wonderful London is… the fashions, and the buildings, and the _stores_! I haven't seen so many beautiful things in my life! Oh, how I wish you could have been there… you would have loved it!'

I smiled brightly, enjoying seeing Crystal so happy. She was my best friend here at the castle; she had been brought in just a few months after me, and we had grown up together. We discussed everything, from the latest servant gossip, to news of the outside world that we had heard. When she had gotten the chance to go to London with one of Adrian's friends, I had encouraged her to go, knowing I would miss her, but the chance to get out of the castle was slim for a servant. The biggest surprise was that Adrian had let her go.

As Crystal talked about her travels, I picked the laundry basket back up and we walked together down the hall to the laundry room. She helped me scrub the clothes, then rinse and hang them up. All the while we were chatting about the things that the other had missed, and caught each other up on the gossip. When we were finished, Crystal sat down on the turned over basket and looked up at me, smiling.

'It's so nice to be back, Des. I mean, I loved London and all, but I really missed talking to you like this. I don't know what I'd do without you…'

I smiled, nodding my head and agreeing. We'd had this discussion before, of course, but we still didn't see eye to eye. I had told her that if she ever had the chance to get out of this place, she should take it and not worry about me. She, however, didn't seem to agree, and said she would refuse to leave without knowing I was safe too.

I sighed, looking out the small, dingy window over the wash basins. The sun was almost down behind the trees, meaning the master's dinner party would be starting soon, so I needed to get going. I bade Crystal farewell and made my way slowly back to the kitchen to say hi to Mary before I had to go upstairs. The halls were almost black now… I couldn't believe that I hadn't grabbed a candle before I left for the laundry room. Oh well. I knew this castle like the back of my hand… there was no way I would get lost.

Before I made it to the kitchen however, I was intercepted by a young boy, carrying a candle.

'Des?' It was a young errand boy named Timmy, who I sometimes played with when I had a rare moment of free time.

'Yea?' I paused and turned to face him. 'Is something wrong?'

'No, nothing's wrong, I've just got a message for you. The master says that you are to go up to his quarters.' He looked at me, with a look that could have passed for pity. None of the servants envied how much Adrian called on me.

'Thanks. Hey,' I called to him as he turned to walk away. He paused and looked back at me over his shoulder. 'you know it doesn't hurt to smile once and a while.' Timmy's face broke out into a grin as he hustled away towards the kitchens, presumably to find his mother.

I took a deep sigh and quickly made my way upstairs. Who knew how long it had been since the master had given the order to see me, so I might as well hurry. When I reached the same hall I had been in earlier that day, I stopped at a door on the left. Standing there for a minute, I took a couple of deep breathes, trying to slow my heart, and then knocked on the wooden door.


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm sorry that it took me so long to update, I'm in the middle of a writing block spell. I hope you all like the chapter, and please R&R! Let me know what you think, and if you have any ideas! **

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The door opened in front of me, as if in answer to my knock. I hesitated for a split second before I cautiously walked into the room. It was Adrian's bedroom; I had only been in here once or twice before. Usually he was in his study or the library. I saw that he was standing in front of his mirror adjusting his tie and putting on his dinner jacket. When he turned to look at me I lowered my eyes to stare at the carpet. Again.

'As you know, I am hosting a dinner party tonight. The men who are coming are very important to my business' success. I expect that you will behave yourself… no accidents. Right?' I nodded in agreement. 'Good. Now,' He started to make his way over to me. Reaching up, he fingered the rose petal that was laying on my bare neck. 'I'm glad to see that you've finally decided to listen to me.' He lifted my chin up with his fingers, his face less than a foot from mine. I still didn't meet his eyes, but he had made it physically impossible to look at the floor any longer. So instead I focused on his shadowed chin, trying to keep my mind blank. No emotion. Show no emotion.

'It is beyond important that you keep this on at all times. More important than you know. Do you understand me?' I nodded. He leaned down and kissed my forehead. 'that's my good girl. It is now time that I should go and greet my guests. Follow.' He dropped my chin and brushed past me and out the doors that opened before him. I let out the breathe that I had unconsciously been holding and followed quickly after him, like an obedient puppy. But I didn't have any other choice.

We made our way down a series of corridors and stairs, and ended in front of a set of French doors. These were opened in front of Adrian by two butlers. I followed silently behind him, slipping into the doors and going quietly along the wall to join two other servants standing along the wall. One was Betsy, a petite girl of about twelve, and the other was an older woman named Saline, who I didn't get along with very well.

In the middle of the large room was a rectangular table covered a fine white table cloth and set with fine china and silver. Around the table, two woman and three men stood, greeting Adrian with respect as he had entered the room. Once they were all seated, Betsy and Saline gathered up the salad bowls and served the guests, while I served Adrian. I hated doing it, it seemed demeaning, as though he were trying to show me off as a position. Show his ownership of me. I don't know why he did this; picked me out of all the others. Nor did I understand why he always seemed to want to show me off like an obedient dog. All I knew was I hated it.

The meal progressed slowly, and while they talked of business arrangements that I didn't understand, nor care to, I studied the guests. They were new to the castle, never having been guest here before. The two ladies were attractive enough, but their natural beauty was overshadowed by fancy dresses, makeup and glittering jewels. Neither seemed to be paying much attention to the talking, they just seemed to be dinner companions, there to be centerpieces. The men were dressed much like Adrian, in suits and ties.

As I was studying them, the man sitting on Adrian's left reached to grab something, and knocked over Adrian's glass, spilling red juice all over the white table cloth. I grabbed a towel from the tray beside me and rushed over to clean it up. The man was apologizing profusely to Adrian, and trying to help stop the spill from spreading with his napkin. When I reached the table, I immediately put the towel over the spot and started to try and pat it dry. The man reached to help me, his hand brushing mine. My hand tingled and I looked quickly over and saw he was looking at me intently. His eyes met mine for a brief second before I looked back at the table and pulled my hand out of his reach. Adrian, who seemed to have noticed nothing, said strongly, 'That is perfectly alright Tristen. No need to worry about it; my servant here can clean it up.' The man called Tristen pulled his hand off the table, and after watching me for another split second, continued the conversation that he had been having with Adrian. I quickly finished cleaning up the spill as best I could and hurried back over to the wall to stand with the other two maids.

The rest of dinner went by uneventfully, and I was glad to see it end. Back in my little room, huddled under the thin blankets, I thanked God that I had gotten through the day, once again, and prayed that'd I'd be able to get through tomorrow too.

_A man braced heavily against the door of the small, one room cabin. He was breathing heavily, his eyes jumping around wildly to all the windows, finally resting on a woman and small child that stood frozen in the middle of the room. 'They're coming' was all he said, but immediate fear shown in the woman's eyes as she hugged her daughter closer to her side. She looked from her daughter to the door behind the man, then into his eyes. All he did was shake his head slowly, and all hope faded from the woman's face. There was no way to escape. The door behind the man seemed to explode outwards as a bright flash invaded the room, blinding the three people. Stumbling back into the woman and child, the man shielded them with his body as shadows began to fill the doorway…_

As I stood in the corner of Adrian's room, waiting for him to finish eating, I found my mind drifting towards the dream I'd had last night. It was different from the other's that I had. I had never seen these images in my sleep before; they were new, but just as terrifying as the others. A dream full of fear, monsters, and hopelessness.

I was pulled out of my thoughts by Adrian's sharp voice in front of me. 'I said come here.' My body went cold. I knew that sound in his voice. Fear coerced through my veins as I forced my legs to take a step forward. Just one single step. Apparently, I hadn't moved fast enough for Adrian's liking, because he grabbed me harshly by the arms and pushed me into the desk. The wood slammed against the back of my knees causing them to buckle from the force and pain. But Adrian didn't care. He leaned against me with his body, pinning my lower half to the desk. Lowering his face to my neck he whispered roughly in my ear.

'We can do this the easy or the hard way. Choose.' When he didn't get an answer from me, he whispered. 'Fine. I will.'

I felt his lips on my throat and closed my eyes bracing myself for the pain. But instead of the pain that I had been waiting for, I felt a cool tickle as his fangs slid into my throat. Immediately a wave of pleasure went rushing through my body. You see, when a vampire bites, they can either make it incredibly painful, or they can make it one of the most pleasurable experiences of your life. I hated the second option, because it made me feel even more out of control than normal. As though I was enjoying what he was doing to me. But deep down, in my mind I wasn't. As my body marveled in the pleasure and cool relaxation that seemed to flow from his fangs, I tried to keep a hold on my mind, but I felt it slipping away into the wonderful abyss…

But suddenly, the pleasurable feelings were starting to fade, the coolness replaced with a burning pain. Instead of enjoyment, fire was flying from his fangs, causing my nerves to scream in pain, and my blood to boil. I tried to scream out, but my mouth wouldn't move. It felt like I was being burnt alive, my vision starting to darken, my mind fading…

He suddenly pulled away from me, letting my body collapse with exhaustion and pain onto the floor. He chuckled quietly to himself as he wiped his mouth and turned away from me. 'Oh Desirae. It doesn't have to be this hard you know. If you would just cooperate, I wouldn't have to hurt you. But,' he turned back to me, 'that's your choice.'

I reached up to the desk, using it to pull myself up into a standing position. I tried not to wince, but it was no use, I couldn't help it. Adrian seemed to enjoy the fact that I was in pain, as though I was being punished for not answering him when he talked. After studying me for a moment, he turned and went around to sit at the desk. Not looking at me he said, 'You may go' in a cold voice. I gathered up the tray and leftover food more slowly that usual, trying to keep my head straight to prevent my vision from blacking from blood loss. I limped slowly out of the room and tried to make my way down to the kitchen, but I didn't make it. In the middle of a hallway, I collapsed to the ground and cried.

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	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hopefully you all like this next chapter, although it's kind of depressing in a way. Don't worry though, it will get better (eventually...) I tried not to leave you guys with too big a cliff hanger either, so hopefully you all enjoy! PLEASE REMEMBER TO R&R! I don't know if you guys are liking it if I don't get some kind of feed back. So if you want me to continue I NEED REVIEWS!! )

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The next week went by, almost uneventfully by the usual standards

The next week went by, almost uneventfully by the usual standards. I had spent most of what little free time I had talking to Crystal about her trip, and the rest just walking around the grounds. Adrian had a dinner party, but that too went by without any noticeable event.

The only thing unusual that had caught my attention was a man who had taken to visiting the master more than once a day. He would arrive in the morning, just after breakfast, stay until lunch and then leave. In the afternoon he would sometimes come right after dinner and then stay into the late hours of the night. Even thought it was odd, this didn't exactly bother me, although I was curious. But as I had learned long ago, it wasn't any use to question any goings on of the master. Eventually, if it had to do with any of the servants, I would hear about it.

It was mid afternoon on Friday, and I was just finishing up some cleaning around the castle's sitting rooms when Crystal walked in, apparently on a short break.

'Afternoon Crys. How's your day been so far?' I dusted off the candle holder that I was holding and placed it back on the mantle.

'I'm okay. Pretty tired that's all. But, oh my, have you seen the new stable hand?' She sighed and fluttered her eyelids, at which I laughed. Typical Crystal. I listened as she explained him in (exact) detail, and finished up the dusting of the baseboards and swatted down a couple of cobwebs that had started in the ceiling corners.

'So I heard that you had a particularly bad run in with the master the other day.' I shuddered, just thinking about it. 'Jordan,' (another one of the kitchen maids) 'told me that she'd found you crying in the hall. Are you doing okay?' Crystal looked at me, concern in her eyes, and she put a hand out onto my shoulder.

I looked down, away from her eyes, trying to keep from crying as the memories resurfaced. But it wasn't as though that was the first time. Not by a long shot. 'Yea. It was pretty bad. He beat me around pretty bad, but nothing worse than I've had before.' I always covered up my 'time' with Adrian by saying that I had gotten beaten; since the dress covered most of my body, I could pretend to just be covering up the bruises. I hated lying to Crystal, but I knew there was no way that I could tell her without sounding crazy.

She pulled me into a tight hug, and I rested my head onto her shoulder. 'Someday we'll be out of here, and on our own in the world. All this will be behind us, and we'll be happy. I promise.' I hoped she was right.

…

Later on that day I made my way out to the stables to visit Apollo. He was turning restlessly in his stall; apparently he hadn't been exercised in a while. I clicked and reached over the stall door as he swung around towards me. I pet his head, whispering in his ear.

'Oh, Apollo. What I wouldn't give just to take you and run away. We're both locked up; confined in our own personal cages. You poor thing…'

I rested my head against his nose, and giggled when his lip tickled my cheek. I smiled and just listened to his breathing for a minute.

My mind was slammed back into reality when I heard shouting from the front grounds of the castle. A piercing scream of a woman met my ears, and backing away from Apollo's stall I started to run towards the source of the sound.

My feet flew across the lush grass, the bottom of my skirt becoming soaked from the wetness of the recently fallen rain. As I rounded the corner to the front drive, I could see a group of servants standing slightly away from the front door. Some of the women were crying onto the shoulders of others, while others just stood there watching. Out of the open door a man had his arms wrapped around a woman, pulling her out of the house. Adrian followed them out of the door, accompanied by another man in his mid thirties, both dressed in suits.

I slowed my pace as I took this all in, and my attention went to the woman who was being pulled from the house. A cold sweat covered my body, as I saw that the woman he was holding was Crystal. She was kicking and screaming, trying to break his hold on her. I wasn't even aware of my legs running full speed towards Crystal. I was yelling her name; trying to get to her. I reached the man who was holding her and tried to get him off her by hitting him. But strong hands pulled me backwards away from Crystal, who was dragged into a carriage waiting in the drive. Tears were streaming down her face, and I could see the terror in her eyes as she reached towards me before the door was closed, blocking my view. I screamed and tried to break free of the grip holding me, but the hands were too strong. My body sagged into who ever was holding me, as I continued to scream Crystal's name. I didn't care that all the servants, as well as Adrian and the other man, where staring at me; watching my anguish.

I vaguely saw Adrian shake hands with the man next to him, although my tears blurred my vision. The man walked to the carriage and hoisted himself up into the drivers seat, grabbed the reins, and nodded his head to Adrian one time before he snapped his whip and the horses took off at a trot. I cried hysterically as the carriage carried my best friend out into the gathering dusk.

...

I barely remembered being pulled into the house and brought down to my room beyond the kitchens. I curled up on my cot, on top of the blankets despite the cold chill in the air. Mary came in and sat beside me, stroking my hair gently, and holding my hand. She tried to assure me that everything was going to be alright, but I wasn't listening to her.

It had all been Adrian's fault. I had seen him shake hands with the man who took away my best friend. The only person in the world that I had ever shared everything with, and the one who I depended on the most to keep surviving in this stupid, unforgiving existence. I knew for a fact that this was one thing that I couldn't just let go. Everything else I could deal with, but not this. It was as though a piece of my heart had been pulled out and smashed. Because I knew it wasn't as though she were just going away for a while. Deep down, I knew that I was never going to see my beloved Crystal again.


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Here's another chapter... I made it a little longer then the last few, and I hope that all of you are enjoying it. Remember, I don't know how you are liking it if I don't get any kind of feed back. So you all know the drill... REVIEW! **

**And thank you to everyone who reviewed last chapter!**

I didn't move from my bed for the rest of that night and into the morning

I didn't move from my bed for the rest of that night and into the morning. Mary had left around eleven, since she had to get up to cook breakfast in the morning. I didn't get much sleep, if any. For the most part I just laid there numbly, not thinking. I silently cried, the tears rolling slowly down my face and dropping onto the thin pillow. By the time the tears finally subsided, a pool of dampness surrounded my head almost like a halo.

A soft knock rapped from my door, but I just ignored it. The door slowly creaked open and Mary stood there, carrying two trays of food. One was the usual tray that I carried up to the master, and the other was a simple wooden tray, carrying a plate of eggs and a piece of toast. Setting herself on the chair she had pulled over next to the bed she set the master's tray on the floor, and held the other one towards me.

'Desirae, love, you have to eat something.' She rubbed my hair with her hand, and then coaxed me into sitting up, leaning my upper body against the wall. She set the tray on my lap and just sat there watching me.

I wasn't in the least bit hungry, but I didn't want to make Mary worry, so I took a couple forkfuls of egg and took a bite out of the toast. Even though it wasn't much, my stomach started to feel sick from just looking at the plate, so I quietly handed the tray back to Mary and laid back down.

'Honey, I know this is hitting you really hard. And if I had any other option you know I would take it. But you have to bring the master his breakfast. He won't let anyone else do it; you know how it is.' She sighed and looked down concernedly at me. I shut my eyes, my mind starting to slowly work back to its normal speed. I didn't want to… heck, I didn't know if I'd be able to stand being in the same room with that stupid bastard, but Mary was right. There was no other option. Not unless I wanted to risk a severe punishment.

Once I'd had the guts to send one of the messengers with a message telling Adrian that I wasn't feeling well, and someone else would have to bring him breakfast. I had been about 10 at the time, and I was running a fever and could barely stand. I had never seen Adrian down in the servant's quarters before, but he came down into my little room, shut the door behind him, and proceeded to give me the worst beating I had ever had. He told me that I had directly disobeyed a direct order from him, and that was inexcusable. When he had turned to go, he looked at me, lying crumpled on the floor, bleeding, and told me that he expected his breakfast in a half hour. Needless to say, I dragged myself up and endured the longest half hour of my life; standing there waiting for him to finish his meal. It had taken a month for all the bruises to heal, and almost six for my cracked ribs to stop hurting when I breathed. I had never again disobeyed an order directly like that ever again, and I knew I couldn't start now.

I pushed the covers back slowly and assured Mary that I would take up the tray. She gave me one last glance as she left the room, shutting the door behind her. I rolled onto my back and looked up at the shadowed, cracked ceiling. I'd just get up and do this as quickly as possible so I could come back down here to be alone. Mary would make sure my chores got done by some of the off duty kitchen girls.

Swinging my legs over the cot and onto the cold floor, I stood up and smoothed out my wrinkled dress. I wasn't going to bother changing my clothes, my other set was dirty any way. I ran my hands through my hair, trying unsuccessfully to tame the tangles and picked up the tray that Mary had left sitting on the chair she vacated.

The halls all seemed to reflect my mood as I walked through them. The walls were shadowed, and everything seemed grayer and more bleak than normal. When I made it to Adrian's room, I knocked and entered after the usual 'come in' sounded through the door. He didn't even look up at me as I set the tray down in front of him and turned to go stand in my usual spot.

'Stay here.' He still was looking down at the sheet of paper that he was writing on. I stopped walking and stood with my head bent, facing the desk. I stayed like that for over a minute, before he looked at me over the breakfast tray.

'I do not appreciate the way that you behaved yesterday in front of my guests.' His tone was hard, but in the same way a father's voice would be when he was disciplining his child. 'However I understand that you were a little upset by the events that were transpiring.' Ha. What an understatement. 'So I will pardon it for the time being. However, I do not wish to ever encounter that behavior again. Am I understood?' His voice was so… so… haughty. As though he was thinking back on my outburst and finding it funny. As though he was showing me that he was in control over everything in my life, even my emotions.

I nodded curtly and turned to move to the wall, but his voice stopped me again.

'Stop. I'm not finished with you. I believe that I should give you at least a little explanation for my actions, although you certainly do not deserve it.' I had stopped moving, but I still hadn't turned back around to face him. This didn't seem to bother him, however, as he just kept talking. 'A friend of mine is involved in a very profitable business which I am currently invested in. He did me a favor a little while back, and I felt the need to repay him. His house was in need of a… shall we say servant girl?' The way he said it, I knew instantly that that wasn't the only thing she was going to be. My anger was starting to boil over, as much as I tried to keep it under control. How could he sell Crystal, poor, innocent Crystal, into a life like that? It was bad enough that I had to live it, but not my best friend too. My hands twitched as I tired to force them not to clench into fists.

'So I made him a deal. Unfortunately for you, it involved your servant friend.' I couldn't hold it. My anger was just too much. Not only had my entire life been ruined by him, now he had taken away the person who I cared most in the world for. I didn't mean to, certainly had I been in my right state of mind I wouldn't have, but I whirled around and grabbed the plate on his tray and threw it against the wall with all my strength. It hit the wall with such force the wall chipped, and the plate shattered into hundreds of pieces and rained down onto the carpet.

Adrian just looked at me for a second, almost as though he couldn't believe I would do something like that. But as quickly as it had come the look turned to one of anger. 'Pick it up.' He growled.

'No.'

I couldn't believe I had actually said that. But now that it was out of my mouth I had to follow through and take whatever hell I had just brought down on myself.

'Excuse me?' Adrian pushed the chair back from the desk and stood up, seeming to be taller and darker that I had remembered.

'I said I'm not going to clean it up.'

He came around the table and was standing about a foot and a half in front of me, he eyes glaring into mine, which were defiantly looking up at him.

His hand came out faster than I could react, and slammed into the side of my head. The force was so strong that I was knocked sideways and had to struggle to keep my balance. He came at me again, this time aiming to push me into the wall, but I sidestepped him, and grabbed the pitcher of orange juice that was sitting on his desk. I hurried around to the opposite side of the desk from where Adrian was standing and scurried as close to the door as I could get. When he came rushing at me, he hit me hard enough that the pitcher flew out of my hand and landed with a thud on the carpet, but didn't break. I was knocked onto the floor too, and I braced my body for what I knew was coming. Out of nowhere, a swift kick knocked all the air out of my lungs and I curled up around myself to protect my ribs, and raised my arms up over my head to protect my face. The kicks kept coming; one to my side, my leg, my shoulder. I was panting from the pain. If it didn't stop soon I would pass out, and I knew that he wouldn't stop until I did.

I looked through my arms and saw the pitcher that I had dropped earlier. If I could just grab it… maybe…

A brief pause in the barrage was all that I needed. I took advantage of the moment and kicked out with one of my legs, causing Adrian to stumble a little. My hand shot out to the pitcher on the floor and I grabbed it up and flung it towards Adrian's head. At first I thought that I had missed, my last opportunity flung carelessly away. But I was wrong. I heard the glass shattering, and took advantage of Adrian's confusion. Ignoring the pain, I got to my feet faster than I had ever done in my life, and without looking back I ran for the door and out into the hallway. I didn't stop there… I knew that he would be coming after me, and I couldn't wait.

I raced through the corridors and burst out of the front door and down to the front hall and out into the grounds. I didn't have any other option. I knew that if Adrian caught up with me he wouldn't stop short of killing me. The only choice I had was to run. But on foot, he would have me within the hour. I needed something faster.

_Apollo…_

As soon as the thought crossed my mind I knew it was the only course of action. I knew how to ride, at least enough. When I was a little girl, first brought to the castle, the old stable master, a nice older woman, unlike the grumpy middle aged man who managed the place now, had taught me how to ride the horses bareback. Since the lessons had to be short and we might both get into trouble if we were caught, we hadn't bothered with a bridle and saddle. All I needed was a halter and lead line.

I raced into the barn, and didn't slow even though I knew I was startling the other horses. When I reached Apollo's stall he whinnied but settled down when he saw it was me. I grabbed his halter off the hook next to the door and opened the door. He let me put the lead on without any problems and I led him from the stall. He pranced excitedly, as though he could sense the urgency and was ready to oblige with speed. I led him quickly from the barn and to a fence that bordered one of the paddocks.

Behind me, I could hear feet running through the barn, and the voice of the stable master yelling.

'Don't you dare! Come back here with that horse you…' But I didn't hear the rest because I jumped up onto the fence and slid onto Apollo's back. Digging my heels into his sides, I squeezed with my legs and clicked him into a fast canter, which he willing gave.

He was even more beautiful to ride that I had imagined; his gait was smooth and I was barely jostled as his hooves pounded down the dirt road away from the castle. The wind felt good in my hair, and if I hadn't been so scared that Adrian was chasing me, then I would have just sat back and enjoyed the ride.

But as it was I was terrified of pursuit. For the next couple of hours we rode, stopping for short breaks at streams to get a drink and let Apollo rest. We continued on until the sun was starting to dip below the trees. Ahead I could see lights of a village, and hear the sounds of horses and sheep coming from pastures. I slowed Apollo down to a walk as we proceeded cautiously towards the village.

Maybe they had an inn there. I had never been this far away from the castle, and had no idea what awaited me. But, then again, I had no money or means to pay for lodging. My best bet was to find a barn to spend the night in, and then go on in the morning. Either way, I knew I had no other option but to try to find a place to sleep and let my tired, sore body have a rest. So with as much courage as I could gather, I clicked Apollo on, and we trotted towards the village.

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	6. Chapter 6

We wandered through the streets of the town at a walk. Buildings lined the sides of the road, with dark, shoulder wide alleys running between the buildings. At the end of the row was a large stone building that had an inn sign hanging over the door. About fifty yards away stood a barn, its door shut against the night.

Warily, worried about leaving my only means of transportation, I tied Apollo's lead to a hitching post and patted his neck quickly, leaving him to drink out of the water trough. I walked up to the front door of the inn, and opened it timidly, entering into the dimly lit cavern. A fire glowed from the stone fireplace in the far wall, and men, along with a few women, sat around long wooden tables. Shadows danced on faces from the torches hanging in iron wall brackets. When I had opened the door, a loud blast of sound met my ears; men laughing too loud, beer mugs being slammed, voices calling for more ale.

I made my way cautiously over to the bar that sat along one wall. The bar man was bustling behind the counter, mixing drinks and pouring ale. He would hand the filled mugs to the busboys who would in turn deliver it to the customers. I was nervous, and kept looking all around me hurridly. I hadn't ever been in a situation such as this. Sure, once in a while Adrian and a couple other men would get drunk after dinner, but it was always on familiar turf and not so noisy.

The man at the bar glanced my way, and seeing me, paused what he was doing, and leaned over the counter towards me. His eyes ran up and down my body, a little too probing, and finally back up to my face.

'Well, little miss, what can I get for you? Did your master send you in to get lodgings? Perhaps a bottle of wine?' His breath stank, and his face was grimy with dirt and sweat. I cringed as he leaned closer.

'No.. I… well, I am looking to get a room. For myself, sir.' I looked down at my feet, unsure of myself.

He laughed. 'All alone are we? Well, how much are you looking to pay?'

'Well, I don't have any money right now, but I'm good with house work, and I could…'

The man's face went dark. 'No money? What use do I have for a house maid?' But then his eyes lit up, his mouth turning up in a smirk. 'But I'm sure we could arrange something else…' he drifted off, but the way he was staring at me again I knew he didn't mean anything good.

'No, that's okay.' He looked disappointed and pulled himself away from me and turned his back on me to refill another mug. Keeping his back to me, I heard him say, 'Paying customers only in the bar.'

I turned red, embarrassed; I should have known better. I turned around and made my way quickly to the door, keeping my head down. Before I reached the door, a drunken man stumbled sideways into me and spilled his mug of beer down the front of my dress.

I gasped in surprise at the cold liquid as it soaked quickly through the fabric. The drunk man barely even acknowledged what he had done, just grunted a barely audible, slurred 'sorry' and then stumbled his way to the bar.

I rushed to the door, wanting to quickly escape this horrid place. The chilled night air rushed through the door to greet me as I pulled it open and slipped outside. Apollo whinnied when he saw me and I went over to him, patting his neck and resting my head on his back.

'Oh, Apollo.' I sighed. 'What have I done?'

My mind was racking for ideas of what I could do for the night. My eyes drifted towards the barn that stood closed against the night. They wouldn't notice if we spent the night in there, would they? Maybe, if we left just before the sun was up…

I stood with my head against his warm side, contemplating that thought. I really didn't have any other option. I couldn't make Apollo keep going without resting for a couple of hours. And I was going to catch a cold in this dress if I didn't get out of the chill. So I untied the lead rope from the hitching post and walked over to the barn door.

It slid back easily without making a sound, and for that I was grateful. Some moonlight came in from between the roof boards, and through the windows all around. I paused for a minute, listening, but the building seemed to be empty void of a few horses and sheep.

Leading Apollo into a stall, I released his halter and closed the gate behind him. I hung the halter on a peg and went towards the back of the barn, searching for a good place to lay down. A pile of straw was all that I could find, and, a bit uncomfortably, laid myself down in it, resting my head on my arm. I didn't really mean to fall asleep, just to rest a little, maybe shut my eyes, but not to fall into a deep sleep. But the next thing that I knew I was startled awake by the sound of someone moving around in feed room. Candlelight spilled out of the door, and I could see a shadow on the wall.

As quickly and quietly as I could, I got off my straw bed and made my way towards Apollo's stall. If I could get into the stall with him, then I would be able to hide from whoever was in the barn…

The crash came out of nowhere, and I felt my foot explode with pain from where I had kicked one of the barrels full of food. A curse came from the feed room as I froze. The shadow came out of the doorway and formed into the form of a man. He must have been one of the busboy's from the inn, because he was wearing one of the bar's aprons and he smelled of beer.

Seeing that I was the one who had made the noise, he started to walk towards me, and I stayed frozen to my spot, fear penetrating every fiber of my being.

'Well, Well. Sneaking around in the stables are we? Planning on taking a horse maybe?' He came close and I backed up against the stall wall behind me.

'No, I was… I just…' I couldn't get my thoughts to come out in audible sentences. He was still closer until he stopped about a foot away from me, looked around the empty barn, and then back at me, a glint in his eyes.

'All alone are you? A pretty girl like you, in the middle of the night? You should be home in bed…' he reached his hands out and grabbed my wrists, massaging up and down my lower arms slowly. I tried to break free of his grasp, but he got rougher and grabbed my wrists tightly. He leaned closer, and when I tried to struggle even more, trying to kick, he pinned me against the wall with his body. His lips crashed down on mine, rough and demanding; I tried to retch my head away as he shoved his tongue into my mouth. Grabbing both of my wrists in the one of his giant hands, he raised them above my head, and with is other hand ran his hand up my thigh…

'Let her go.' A voice over the man's shoulder made him pause, and look backwards. This gave me my chance and I struggled out of his loosened grasp and away from him.

'She's with me, so you'd better run off before I tell your boss you were taking liberties with the guests.'

The man nodded his head quickly and rushed off out of the barn, not looking back at me, as though he were frightened of this newcomer. I didn't know if this situation I had gotten into was going to be any better than the one I was just in, but I looked over quickly to see who had saved me.

Standing there, his face lit by a ray of moonlight, was the man who had been Adrian's dinner guest a couple days before. Tristen I think he was called. He was wearing a pair of black riding boots, and a handsome black riding jacket.

I shied away from him, because I knew what he was. Getting myself in a situation with a dark creature of the night, like this one, was not a good idea. I had no idea what his boundaries were when it came to feeding; so unlike with Adrian, I couldn't be sure that he wouldn't kill me on the spot.

Tristen seemed to sense my anxiety as he stopped moving and just watched me. I backed my way to Apollo's stall, and grabbed the hanging halter, keeping my eyes on him the whole time.

'I'm not going to hurt you Desirae.' That made me stop. How did he know my name? Adrian never used my name during meals, he just called me 'my servant/maid'. 'I know you don't want to trust me, but it's not safe for you to be out here by your self. Where is Adrian?'

I looked down at the ground, my submissive nature automatically coming back in the face of a higher authority. I fought to control it, but the learned instincts would not be challenged.

'He's not here.' I said quietly, gripping the halter tightly in my fist.

'He's what? You're here by yourself?' I couldn't read his tone, but my mind exploded in fear as he strided quickly towards me and raised his had. I automatically drew backwards and cringed, waiting for the slap. But it didn't come; instead, Tristen reached out and took my chin in his hand, and turned my head to look at his. When I averted my eyes, he said, 'Look at me Desirae.'

I looked into his green eyes and saw concern in them. 'You ran away, didn't you.' It wasn't a question, but a statement. I nodded slightly, looking down again.

'I knew he was mistreating you but,' he trailed off and let my chin go. Turning away he said, 'You can't stay out here alone. It's too dangerous for a girl by herself, as you just experienced. I have a room at the inn; I want you to stay with me for the night, and we'll figure out what to do in the morning.'

He started to walk towards the barn door, but when I didn't move to follow he stopped and turned towards me and motioned for me to come. 'I'm not going to turn you back to Adrian, if that's what you're worried about. I promise, just get a good night's sleep, and we'll talk about what you're going to do in the morning.'

I really didn't much of a choice. He was right, it wasn't safe out here on my own, but how much safer was I going to be with Tristen? I didn't want to trust him, but there wasn't anything else I could think of to do, so I put the halter back on the peg, and slowly, cautiously followed Tristen out of the barn.

…

When we got up to the room, after passing the surprised, and annoyed looking barman, Tristen threw a pair of pants and an extra long tee-shirt in my direction.

'You can't stay in that dress, you'll get sick. Change into these and let your dress dry overnight. The bathroom's over there.' He pointed to a door on the other side of the room. I grabbed the clothing, and went into the bathroom to change. The mirror over the wash basin showed that my hair was a tangled mess, with straw still stuck in it, and I had a couple of bruises on my cheeks and a large bump on the side of my head. Lifting off the dress I saw two large, purple bruises on my sides and a couple smaller ones all across my back.

I grabbed a clean towel that was sitting on the counter and cleaned off all the bruises as best as possible, and wet down my hair trying to detangle it, before putting it back in a bun.

The clothes were too large for me, and it felt very odd not wearing a dress. I tugged down the hem of the shirt, which came to about mid thigh, and straightened the pants, before hanging my dress on a hook in the wall.

When I got out of the room, still pulling the shirt down, Tristen was sitting on the edge of the bed reading something. When he saw me come in, he quickly closed the book and put it into the nightstand next to the bed. He had changed too, into almost the same thing I was wearing, but the fit him a little better. I could see the outline of his muscles through the shirt, and, even though I tired not to think about it, he was incredibly handsome, his black hair laying just messily enough to make him look tousled, but not unkempt.

Embarassed at my thoughts, I turned away from his gaze and looked around the room, waiting.

'There's only the one bed, so If it would make you more comfortable I can sleep on the floor.' Tristen gestured to some blankets in the corner.

'No, I really can't take it from you. I'll be fine, really.'

When I had convinced him that I wasn't going to make him sleep on the floor, I went over to the bed and curled up under the covers. I never in my life had experienced such a soft bed; well to others it might not seem that soft, but to me it was like I was sleeping on a cloud. Tristen blew out the light and I could feel him get into the other side of the bed, careful to stay as close to the other side of me as possible.

I wasn't awake for long after that. Even though my mind was still racing, I wasn't as frightened as I had been before. Somehow I knew that he wasn't going to hurt me; at least, if he had wanted to he would have bitten me already.

So I gave in and just let sleep take me, knowing that I would deal with tomorrow, tomorrow.

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**Okay. We're going to try something new. I need 4 reviews before I'm going to go on. 4. That's it. I'm pretty sure... no... positive that you can all do that. So hopefully this chapter was up to par, and thanks to everyone who reviewed last time!**

**Sheba's Fire**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey everybody! I am beyond excited! 5 REVIEWS IN LESS THAN 24 HOURS!! wow. Great job every body! I was so impressed that I decided to be nice and post another chapter just to reward you all! So, I probably am not going to be able to update until at least Monday, but I definately get one up by next weekend at the LATEST. so, since you all did so well last time claps lets try for 5 reviews before I will even think about posting again. Remember, give me ideas, thoughts, or just rants about what you guys think. Neways, thank you all for reading, and I hope you enjoy! R&R**

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I slowly came back to consciousness after a couple of hours. I hadn't realized how tired I had been, but combined with the comfort of the bed I had gotten the best, deepest sleep that I had gotten in a long time. As my body came back to reality, I felt something heavy resting across my waist. Stiffening, I realized that somehow during the night, me and Tristen had rolled into each other and I was now sleeping with my back to his stomach and his arm around my waist.

Not wanting to wake him up, I just laid there for a minute, trying not to think about how well our bodies fit together. But I had to get out of his hold before he woke up and decided to change his mind about hurting me. I didn't really think that he would do anything on purpose, and I wanted to believe that he wouldn't hurt me by accident either, but my experience with vampires and men in general led me to be overly cautious and slow to trust.

As carefully as I could I wriggled out from under his arm and squirmed to the other side of the bed. But Tristen must have been a light sleeper (yes, vampires sleep), because the movement roused him. He must have been startled to find himself so close to me, because he rolled away quickly and murmured a quick apology about invading my space. Ha. If only he knew how close we had been a minute ago.

I sat up on the side of the bed with my back to him and ran my hands quickly through my hair and gathering it back into the bun it had fallen out of over the course of the night. I could feel his eyes on my back, but I just sat on the edge of the bed and put my face in my hands, closing my eyes.

Today I had to make a major decision. I didn't know where I was going to go, or what I was going to do. I had run without any forethought and now I was faced with the consequences. I couldn't go back, not unless I wanted to get myself beaten until I couldn't move, and then more.

Almost as though he sensed what I was thinking about, Tristen said, 'You're not going back, are you?'

It was one of those questions that is stated, because the answer is already known. Still, I shook my head.

'I didn't think you were. What did he do to you? I know that you were being mistreated, I heard about it from some of the other servants. But it didn't seem like enough to make you run.'

I paused, not sure how to answer the question. I couldn't tell him everything about what Adrian did to me could I? No, it would give him visions that I didn't want planted in his head. So instead I just said, 'He… well, he sold my best friend. And I'm sure it was just to show that he could control everything in my life. And he, just, lorded over me the fact that I was his to do what he wanted with. And, I just couldn't take it anymore. So I ran.'

I could feel tears welling up in my eyes thinking back about Crystal but I forced them back and took a deep breathe, keeping my composure. Tristen was breathing deeply behind me, and I could almost hear the anger(?) in his voice. 'Did he…?' His cold hand touched my neck and I jumped away from his hand and was startled to realize that he was now sitting directly behind me.

Getting up from the bed and walking to the wall, then turning and leaning on it, I didn't answer. Tristen apparently guessed it though, because he said, 'I'm really sorry, Desirae. You didn't deserve that; no one should ever be taken advantage like that, no matter what.'

I looked up at him when he said this, and saw the concern and sincerity in his eyes. This surprised me a little. He didn't even really know me; why should he be so concerned with what had happened to me?

He changed the subject, seeing how I was growing uncomfortable. 'So have you decided what you're going to do?' When I shook my head he said, 'Well, I'm heading down south to one of the large merchant cities down there. If you want, you could come with me.' Seeing the confusion, and slight terror in my eyes, thinking that he was going to keep me against my will, he clarified quickly. 'Of course you could go just as far as you wanted, and leave whenever you want to. I'm not going to make you do anything you don't want to. The decision is completely up to you.'

I thought for a minute carefully. I really didn't know what I was going to do, and this would at least give me protection and a direction for a little while. He seemed to genuinely want to help me and I was sure that if he had meant anything sinister that he would have either hurt me or brought me back to Adrian by now.

'Okay. I'll go with you. For a little while at least.' Was that relief that I saw in his eyes when he said that? Happiness?

…

We decided to get an early start; well, early seeing as we had slept until after sun up. So after I had changed back into my slightly stained dress, we left the inn, got Apollo and his horse from the barn and started.

We took the same road that I had been traveling down, as it continued through the town and kept heading to the south. The going was mostly quiet, sure we talked a little bit about insignificant things, but for the most part the ride was silent. We stopped to let the horses drink from nearby streams a few times, and to eat once. When we had been traveling for a good five to six hours, Tristen pulled his horse back, and fell into step with mine, as I had been riding slightly behind him taking in the beauty of the roads we were traveling.

'Now, Desirae. We're about to come up to a town called Dorcy. Personally, I would prefer to travel around it, instead of going through it, but we really cant go around without adding another day before we hit another town. So I'm going to need you to do something that I really don't want you to have to do. When we go through the town, I need you to pretend that you are my servant.' When he saw the look in my eyes, he reassured me. 'You by no means are, and like I said before, you can still leave if you want. But for your safety you need to pretend. That's all I'm asking.'

I agreed reluctantly. I knew that Tristen wouldn't ask something like that unless it was really important, so I was placing a small bit of trust on him to get me through safely.

As we approached the city, I could hear noises from within the walls, like some sort of market was taking place. Nearing the gate, Tristen got down off his horse, and offered his hand to me as I dismounted mine. When I took it to steady myself, a tingle seemed to spread from where his hand touched mine, up my arm. I quickly pulled my hand away and instead grabbed Apollo's lead with both hands.

Tristen handed his horse's reins to me as we approached the gate and whispered in my ear, his breath tickling my ear. 'Remember, it's just acting.'

He strode confidently ahead of me to the gate keeper, and I quickened my pace to keep up with him.

'Tristen! How are you, my friend? Haven't seen you around these parts in a while.' The heavy set gatekeeper shook hands with Tristen, gesturing for him to sit and talk.

'Unfortunately I have some business to attend to today, Tom, so I cant stay and talk.' Tom's eyes shifted back to me, as I stood watching the ground; something I am very good at doing. As he studied me, Tristen said, 'She's mine. Just picked her up from a man north of here. Little beauty isn't she?' The two looked appraisingly at me as I tried to keep my face empty and my cheeks from reddening.

After exchanging a couple more words, Tristen motioned for me to follow him as we passed the iron gates, which opened inward before us. The noise of crowds grew louder as we walked into the center of town. People were sitting and standing under small canopy's and others were walking around from tent to tent, visiting. It seemed like a normal market until I started to realize that there was nothing to sell. No products anyway. In one tent I noticed a group of three or four huddled children sitting in a corner, wearing rags and covered in dirt. In another tent sat six girls, no older than myself, tied together at the wrist with a man looking down and examining each one.

I grew more and more horrified as we passed tent after tent filled with men, women, and children chained together. Large men, dressed in fine clothes, and even some nicely dressed women wandered from tent to tent, examining the chained people. As we passed one spot, I saw a man forcibly unchaining a girl from the rest of the group and despite her crying and pleading, leading her away with him. Money was passed from hand to hand, as chained prisoners were given and taken.

When the scenes around me became too hard to watch, I just focused on the ground in front of me, and tried to block out the sobs, screams, and clink of coins.

While we were hustling through the square someone grabbed me from behind and attempted to turn me to face him. The horses shied to the side as I screamed in fear. Tristen whirled around and confronted the man who had grabbed me.

'What do you think you are doing?' he growled, moving to stand between me and the man.

'How much?'

'Excuse me?'

'How much do you want for the wench?' I gasped as the man looked hungrily at me again, as though I were a piece of meat.

'She's not for sale.' Tristen stood adamantly between us and gave the man a look that would have made any normal man cower in fear.

'Are you…' the man seemed to wine as though he were a little child and Tristen was denying him candy.

'Yes. She's not for sale, period.' Turning away from the man he walked behind me, and placing a hand on my back he urged me to walk on. My heart was beating out of my chest in fear; my breathing was heavy and I was having a hard time controlling my legs.

'It's okay. We're almost out,' Tristen assured as he continued to walk behind me.

My mind was numb the rest of the way through the horrible town. I couldn't think of all those sad, fearful faces, waiting… not knowing what the future held for them…

When we had made it out of the far gates and out of sight of the gatekeeper, I stumbled to the nearest tree and sat down, leaning against it. I leaned my head back and closed my eyes, slowing my breathing. Tristen sat beside me; close, but far enough away to give me space.

'I told you that was a place that I'd have rather not had to take you through. I didn't want you to have to see that.' He sounded genuinely sorry, not just about me having to see that, but about the entire event.

'I don't understand, how could they…?' I trailed off, but he knew exactly what I was asking.

'It was a slave market, Desirae. That town is the leading slave trading town in the country. The traders bring the slaves and servants that they have bought, or captured, and sell them to my kind.' That was the first time I had heard him refer to himself as a vampire, but now I was certain that my assumption had been correct.

'It's not a practice that I agree with, or participate in. I don't believe that it's right to do that to someone. I personally believe that people should be paid for their services to us, and that we should get permission before we drink from someone.'

He saw me flinch at the mention of a vampire's feeding habits, and apologized. 'I don't mean to make you uncomfortable, but I want you to understand that I'm not like that. I want you to be able to trust me, and the only way you are going to be able to is if you know I am not going to hurt you. I promise you.' I felt his hand touch my arm that was resting on the ground. Softly he stroked my skin, and I shivered, but not from cold.

I opened my eyes, and saw him watching me carefully. Still watching my eyes he lifted his hand up and ran his fingers lightly across the bruises on my face, as I shivered again with the contact. But then, he pulled his hand away and stood up swiftly.

'We should keep going. I'm not sure how far it is to the next town, but the more miles we put between us and that town, the better.' I got up off the ground also, the bruises on my side hurting a little.

Tristen insisted that I ride on his horse for a while, so I could ride in a saddle. After some persuading I finally agreed, and once again, we headed down the road. I wasn't sure what we were heading towards, but I sure hoped it was better than what we were leaving behind.


	8. Chapter 8

R&R!

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We traveled on until sunset, both of us quiet; dwelling in our own thoughts

We traveled on until sunset, both of us quiet; dwelling in our own thoughts. When I started to nod off, held onto the horse by the saddle, Tristen looked over at me, and pulled his horse next to mine.

'I think we should probably stop for the night. Are you okay with that?'

I just nodded and walked beside Tristen as he led us a little ways into the privacy of the woods, with the path still just in view. He dismounted Apollo and came over to help me down off his horse. He held my waist and helped to lift me down out of the saddle; but once my feet were on the ground he left his hands around me for a moment longer than was needed. He was watching my face, but let me go before I had time to do anything but look up at him. He was at least five inches taller than me, and his shoulders broad in contrast to my thin, feminine ones. The muscles that covered his arms and chest showed through his shirt, and I couldn't help but notice as he grabbed his horse and began to tie him to a tree, next to Apollo.

But shaking my head, I cleared away the thoughts that were creeping in. Yes, he was handsome, there was no denying that, but I had to think of other things. I still didn't know what I was going to do once I left his company, or even when I was going to go my separate way.

Turning away, I bent over and grabbed the sleeping rolls that Tristen had dropped onto the ground. After laying them out next to the fire that Tristen had started, I took my shoes off and set them beside my roll, and crawled between the chilly fabric. I laid my heads on my crooked arm, and just lay there staring into the fire. I heard more than saw Tristen crawl into his bed, and I was comforted, despite my better judgment, just to know that he was near. However, my ears picked up every movement that he made and any odd sounds from the woods around us. Years of preparing for people to jump me and listening in dark corridors had trained my ears to hear everything that could pose a threat. However the steady breathing of the man across from me calmed my fears, and let me know that someone was there who could protect me.

As my eyes were finally starting to droop, and my breathing slowed, Tristen's voice carried through the darkness.

'Desirae? Are you still awake?'

'Yea. I am.' I whispered back, barely audible.

'I've been thinking all day, and I want to propose another option to you. I know that you are probably very eager to get away from everything that reminds you of your old life. But you don't know much about this world. It's not anything like the sheltered one that you have been living.' When I made a sound of protest, he cut me off. 'It may not seem like it Des, but you have. The world is not what you think. You saw evidence of that this morning.'

'Anyway,' he paused, then rushed ahead. 'I was thinking that maybe you'd want to stay on with me. I mean, not as a slave, or anything like that, but maybe you could just be my travel companion. I travel a lot, and then you'd have someone to protect you. Not that you need protecting, for the most part.' I could hear the mixed thoughts that were running through his mind, and also the anxiety in his voice. He was afraid that I was going to get upset with him! I had to keep myself from laughing out loud. He sounded so nervous, and I found it amusing that he should be afraid of me. Ha. As if I could do anything to him if I tried.

The thoughts ran quickly through my head, jumbling together and confusing each other. Security. Companion. Protect. Dependant. Stay. I weighed the pros and cons quickly as Tristen lay tense on the other side of the fire waiting for my answer. If I took him up on the offer, then I was guaranteed at least a small level of security and shelter. I wouldn't have to worry quite so much about where I was going, and how I was going to eat every night, never mind where I was going to stable Apollo.

On the other hand, I wouldn't be completely free. I'd have to go where Tristen wanted to, and I knew that creatures of the night were not always trustworthy. Eventually he would lose his sense of judgment, and that could be dangerous, if not deadly, for me. I'd still be dependant on someone else for my life.

Tristen let out a breathe when I began to speak, as though he had been holding it all the while I was thinking. 'Could you guarantee me that if I wanted to go, you would let me? Not hold me against my will?'

'Yes.'

I took a sigh, and realized that I had already made up my mind. It was my best option at this point, and why not take hold of the little bit of stability that was being handed to me?

'Okay. As long as were are under the agreement that I am still free to do whatever I please, and I'm not in any way subject to you, I'll stay. But,' I paused, listening to the breathing that was again coming from the other side of the fire, 'If you do anything that in any way violates me, then I'm leaving. I won't be abused again.'

'No, I wouldn't expect you to.' He paused. 'Thank you.'

'For what?'

'Trusting me.' He rolled over to put his back to the fire and me, and I knew that was the end of our conversation. I turned my own back to him, and drifted off to sleep, thoughts and expectations about my new future running through my head.

…

_Shoving, pushing, tugging. A little girl being pushed backwards, through a trap door in the floor. Darkness, noises from above, damp earthen walls. A woman's scream came from behind the girl as she was pushed further down the passage by the falling woman. Fear, sweat, heat. Noises from above, smashing pottery, and crashing furniture, filled the dark corridor. The girl stumbled on, feeling her way. Reaching the end of the tunnel, she struggled with the heavy wooden door. She couldn't hear her mother any more, and she didn't know if her father had gotten through the floor. Pushing, struggling, the door opening. The little girl stumbled out of the door into a small opening between trees, and she looked back to see men rushing in and out of the small cabin, torches lighting the scene. Suddenly, grabbed from behind, a hand over her small mouth; kicking, biting. A blur of terror and fear…_

…

I woke to find that indeed, some of the feelings had not been just a dream. I had been grabbed from behind in my sleep, and a heavy hand was pressed over my mouth. I flailed, trying to free myself, but the sleeping roll prohibited the movement of my legs, and my arms were grabbed and pinned painfully behind my back.

I eyes rolled around, scanning desperately for Tristen. Where was he? I shook my head from side to side, desperate to loose the hand, and to find my companion.

A chuckle came from somewhere behind me, and in the light of the fire I could see another struggling figure, this one on his feet, being dragged around into my line of view. Tristen! He was being held by a burly man, and although the struggle he was putting up was more than any normal man could have handled, he looked like a small child trying to get away from his father. His eyes looked into mine, and I could see his confusion, then anger, as he looked over my head.

'Well, well. What a happy little reunion. All together again.'

I heard a person moving gracefully around behind me, and I turned my head to the side, following the footsteps, trying to find our captor.

I felt as though all the air had been knocked out of my stomach, and my head began to pound with fear when I saw who was walking towards the fire.

Adrian stood between me and Tristen, looking back and forth, his eyes finally resting on me. A smile lit up his face, and he looked like a child who got a puppy for his birthday.

'Did you really think you could get away from me that easily?'


	9. Chapter 9

_AN: Here's another chapter! I hope that you are all enjoying it.. and thank you for all the reviews last chapter! I think that I'm going to aim for eight reviews before I post the next one, so make sure you read and review!!_

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The sight of Adrian stilled all of my efforts to struggle with the man holding me. I went limp, and turned my head down toward the ground, trying to hide my face from his view. This couldn't be happening. I was so sure I had gotten away…

'What, you can't bear to look at me? I promise I look the same as when I last saw you; fortunately for you that little escapade of yours didn't cause any permanent damage.' Adrian moved to bend down in front of me, and Tristen renewed his struggle with his captor, trying to break free and come to me.

I was aware of Adrian's eyes focused on my face, but I kept staring at the dirt, my head turned as far from him as it could be. I could barely breathe as I sat petrified before him.

Out of the corner of my eye I saw his hand fly up towards my face, and I couldn't help but snap my eyes shut, prepared for the pain. But he just chuckled and grabbed my chin roughly turning my face up to him.

'You've been a naughty girl, Desirae. Very naughty indeed.' He trailed off, continuing to study my face; searching my eyes. 'Was my treatment of you that bad? I didn't think so, but then again, you haven't ever been an appreciative one, have you? Always unhappy, never taking the opportunities to enjoy yourself…'

I couldn't take it; after all, what else could he do to me that he wasn't already going to? I spit as hard as I could into his face. His hand let go of my chin and slammed hard into the side of my face. I slumped away from him, but relished in the small satisfaction at the fact that I had made him let me go.

Adrian stood up abruptly and turned his back on me and Tristen walking out of my line of sight and back into the shadows of the trees. Before he completely faded out of sight, I heard him mumble something to a guard that wasn't holding either of us. The next thing that I new, a sharp blow to my temple knocked me into bitter blackness.

…

A throbbing ache resonating throughout my head was what woke me. It seemed to keep in time with my heart beat, and the pain made me feel sick to the stomach. I tried to reach my hands up to massage my forehead, but I couldn't seem to move them past my waist. I pulled and pulled, my eyes still shut against the pain, but again and again something kept holding them back. Taking a deep breathe, I slowly cracked my eyelids open. There wasn't, however, much difference from when I had them shut. A faint light was cast around the room by a short candle on a table, but other than that, the room was cast in shadow. I looked down at my hands and saw that they were chained to the wall by my feet, which would explain why I couldn't reach my head. My legs were free, but my hands were bound together at the wrist and connected to a ring in the wall by a chain.

I turned my head to look around the room; although no matter how slowly I tried to move it, the throbbing became worse. I took a deep breathe and opened my eyes all the way, trying to ignore (ineffectively) the pain. The table with the candle was on the far wall, while the door was in the corner opposite me. The rest of the room was bare except for a chair that sat in one of the other corners.

Looking at the chair that was hidden in shadow, I gasped when the shadow shifted and I saw the outline of a man. I scrambled from my horizontal position on the floor and backed myself into a sitting position against the corner. My head exploded in pain, and as much as I didn't want to close my eyes, I had to shut them and lead my head against my knees, waiting for some of the pain to subside.

I heard the person shifting across the room, and cringed when I heard them moving the chair close to me. The noises ceased, and I ventured a glance up.

Adrian was sitting not three feet out of my reach, staring emotionless at me. I shrunk into myself, trying to make myself invisible, hugging my knees to my chest.

'Desirae. Desirae.' He seemed to sigh my name as though he were slightly exasperated; like I had disappointed him. I felt his eyes on me, but I refused to look up at him. I felt so powerless; chained like a dog, unable to stop whatever was coming.

He took a breathe and started to speak slowly, as though he had all of eternity to get his thoughts across. Well, I guess in reality, he did.

'Now, I'm going to explain something to you. You need to listen closely; I'm only going to say this once. I have tried to keep you under this roof, protected from the outside world. But you have gone against everything I have given you and chosen to defy me. As I have said before, no one challenges me and wins. Therefore I have decided that since you are ungrateful towards me, I am going to show you what a hard life truly is. As much as I would love to keep you…' Adrian reached out as he dropped off, stroking my hair. I could feel his possessiveness in his touch. It wasn't that he wanted to lose me because of what I meant to him, but because it would mean losing a prized possession.

Removing his hand, he continued. 'Since you don't want to live here like a good girl, I am selling you to one of my associates.'

I gasped, and stared at him, ignoring the submission I was supposed to be showing. How… no… he couldn't…

As much as I hated Adrian, I had heard stories about how some of his business partners treated their households. The thought of going to someone who would treat me even more inhumanely than Adrian did caused my breathing to come quickly, and my headache pounded as I sat frozen in fear. But I couldn't let him see how much this news affected me. I couldn't give him the pleasure of knowing my fear. I stayed sitting curled in the corner, and pressed my head harder against my knees.

'He is due here in a couple of hours, although I'm sure you won't be leaving right away. We have a couple of things to discuss.' He straightened up from his chair, and grabbing the back, moved it back to its original position in the corner. He turned to leave, but as he got to the door, I couldn't help myself.

'Please. Where is Tristen?' I choked.

Adrian paused for a minute, his hand on the door knob, but he didn't say anything. After a second, he left the room, and when the door shut behind him, it felt as though a door was being slammed, closing all hope out of my life.

…

I spent what seemed like forever trying to free myself from the wall. But I didn't have any luck, and only succeeded in bruising and cutting my wrists. I knew I wasn't going to be able to get out, but the activity had kept my mind at least somewhat occupied, so I didn't have to think about what was actually happening to me. I mean, it wasn't like I forgot (granted, I _was_ trying to untie myself), but I was able to focus on something else.

When the pain in my hands and wrists was too much, I stopped struggling, and just laid unmoving on the wood floor. I allowed my eyes to shut, and, despite the situation I was it, let my mind drift off to sleep. I hoped that when I woke up my headache would be gone, and maybe I would have just a little more strength so I could face whatever was to come.

…

I was startled awake by voices outside my door; two men were talking to each other in low tones, apparently having a last word before they entered 'my' room. I couldn't hear everything they were saying, but some of the words drifted to my ears.

'…remember… agreed. …offer will be cancelled. …do whatever you like with her. …leave…on. I'll know… be sorry.' I could tell that this voice belonged to Adrian, but I didn't recognize the second voice.

'Of course. …still sure… all you want. …I could…' Adrian cut this voice off sharply, almost with a snarl.

'No. …rules…'

A couple other words were muttered after this, but I couldn't make them out. A lock clicked on the door (he had locked me in, too?) and the doorknob twisted. Adrian entered followed by a shorter man, probably about 5'7'', with long hair pulled behind his neck in a tight ponytail. While he possessed that otherworldly 'beauty' that all vampires inherited (for I knew right away that was what he was), his face was marred by a mask of evil, even worse than Adrian's. He sneered at me huddled in the corner, and, with a quick glance at Adrian, strode toward me. As he reached to unchain me from the wall, he leaned horribly close to me, and made no effort to hide the fact that he was assessing me from head to toe. I shrunk as far into the wall as I could, and huddled my knees to my chest.

When he had finished unchaining me, he moved back towards the door, holding onto the chain that was still connected to my wrist. He yanked forcefully when the chain tightened, causing the metal to cut into my already sore wrists. I gasped in pain, and quickly scrambled to my feet, putting slack back into the chain, trying to avoid a second jerk.

The man gave Adrian a curt handshake, and proceeded to yank me by my wrists from the room. He led me through the familiar halls of the castle I had grown up in (apparently I had been staying in one of the always locked rooms in the north tower). The one thing I had to be thankful for was that we didn't run into any of the servants on our way out; I would hate to have any of then see me as I was now. I'm sure my face was covered in dirt and bruises, and my dress was worn and dirty. A couple of the cuts on my wrist had begun to bleed, and I could see the man turning his head back to stare longingly at it, and he took in deep breathes, as though just the smell were enticing.

But we didn't stop walking, and he half led, half dragged me outside and to a waiting wagon. It was bare wood, a flat bed, with a seat raised above the bed for the driver to sit in. I was roughly pulled into the back, where I was tied to the seat post. He nimbly jumped up into the driver's seat, and, grabbing the reins, clicked to the waiting horse to move.

The trip was not smooth, for the roads were nothing more than rutted dirt paths. I was jarred, and bumped, forming new bruises along my hips and back. I reached down to the bottom of my dress, and with much difficulty tore off a piece of the hem, and wrapped them as best I could around the cuts on my wrist. The rest of the ride, I just laid on my back, trying to shift along with the wagon to prevent more bruising, and just dwelled in my own thoughts. I decided that it wasn't worth thinking about the past, and dwelling on what I could have done differently to have changed this outcome. Instead, I just focused on what lay ahead of me, and how I was going to get through it.


	10. Chapter 10

**AN: Well, we didn't get eight reviews last chapter, only seven, but I figgured that I'd post this next chapter for all the people who are faithfully reading and reviewing. So this chapter is for you, and thank you for your faithfulness! Let's try for eight again, and this time, I'm not posting until I get all of them!

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******

We traveled for hours after the sun went down, since we hadn't started until almost dusk. I slept most of the ride, and the man in the front didn't say anything to me. I did, however, see him turn his head around a couple of times to look at the rags around my wrists. But, I ignored him, and continued to dwell in my own thoughts.

I was awoken from a restless sleep when the wagon bumped to a sudden stop, and the man got out of the front seat. I looked around, blinking my eyes, and trying to make out my surroundings in the inky blackness, but I couldn't see anything further out than ten feet. He climbed into the wagon, and bent low over me, his face right next to my ear as he untied the chain from the wood.

'Welcome home, Desirae.' The way he said it made me shiver in fear, and he said my name with a little too much sweetness on his tongue for my liking. He jerked the chain, indicating that I was to follow, and I was glad for the rags around my wrists, for it stopped the blunt of the jerk.

I followed the man unsteadily, my legs feeling like jelly after laying so awkwardly for so long. I was hurried into a little building, nothing like I was accustomed to. We entered through a kitchen, with a wood floor, iron wood stove, and a wooden table. But we didn't stop here; I was led through a connecting door and into a room, maybe 10 feet by 12. The floor was dirt, and a pile of straw lay in the corner. There was no door, except the one that we had come through, and the small window towards the ceiling did not give much light, so the corners were in shadows.

The man abruptly stopped, and, grabbing my shoulders, swung me around so he was between me and the door. He dug his hand deep into his pocked and emerged with a key. Unlocking my wrists, he pushed me backwards, so I stumbled, trying to catch myself from falling. Without a word he left the little room, and I heard a bolt being slid across the door.

I didn't have any energy left, and I just dropped to the floor where I had been standing. I cradled my wrists, and winced when I touched the bruises on them. I just sat there, not moving, for a long time. But, something startled me out of my little world.

Someone was talking to me. I tried to focus on what they were saying, and I looked around, trying to find the source of the voice. For all I knew I had finally been driven to the brink, and I was now imagining things. But the voice kept talking, in a soothing way, and soon I was able to understand what it was saying.

'Don't be frightened. Your safe. At least for now.'

My attention was drawn to the corners of the room, where, squinting, I could just see the shapes of people. There weren't many, maybe four or five, but I was surprised that I hadn't noticed them. Boy, I must really be out of it. Hardly anything ever escaped my notice.

A girl, the one who had been talking, moved towards me, and I let her take my wrists and examine them.

'May I…' she asked, not waiting for me to answer. She unwrapped my wrists, and started to rebind them with clean fabric.

'I'm Tracy. The others are Meg, Ginny, Anna, and Tina.'

The four other figures emerged from the shadows; two seemed in their mid-to-late twenties, (Meg and Tina), Ginny was no older than fifteen, and Anna was in her late thirties. Tracy looked to be about my age, her red hair chopped short against her neck.

When she finished re-wrapping my wrists, Tracy sat back on her heels and looked at me, as though waiting for me to speak.

Opening my mouth, surprised at how dry it was, I managed to croak, 'Where are we?'

'Hell.'

The voice was Tina's. She had gone to a wall and sat leaning against it.

'Tina.' She was firmly scolded by Anna, and Tracy was the one who answered my question.

'We are in Troy's holding room. This is where he keeps us until he…' but she was cut off by Anna in that same scolding voice she had used with Tina.

'I don't think this is the time, Tracy. Can't you see the poor girl needs some rest? And very probably some food and water, although I can't do anything about that just now.' Anna took my hand and helped draw me to my feet, leading me over to the straw pile. 'We'll let you sleep here tonight, but you are going to have to share with Ginny, because I can't stand to see her sleeping on dirt.'

I let myself be gently but firmly sat down on the makeshift 'bed'. But I knew that I wasn't going to be able to sleep. Not before I found out where I was and what was going to happen to me.

'Please. I want to know what's going on. Who is Troy? And why did he lock us all in this room?'

I saw a look pass between the three older women, and Tracy was the first to speak.

'Troy is a… merchant, in a sense. He buys, or finds, people who no one is going to miss. He takes us to markets and…' she trailed off, but I knew the rest of what she was going to say. Slave trader. I dropped my head into my hands, shaking it in disbelief. How could Adrian have sold me to a slave trader?!

'Now you've done it Tracy. Just look at the poor girl's face. She's gone white as a ghost. There, there dear…' Anna came over and sat with me, rubbing my back soothingly. 'So, tell us about yourself. Let's start off with your name.'

'Desirae.' I didn't offer any more information, and Anna seemed to sense that I wasn't going to.

'Well, Tracy said, I'm Anna. This is my daughter, Ginny. We're originally from up north, but we've been shifted from household to household since she was three. Tina, over there, was brought in by Troy, oh, maybe two months ago?' she looked at Tina for confirmation, but she didn't give any. Shaking her head slightly, she continued. 'Tracy has been with us for a couple of weeks, and Meg was brought in the day before last. Unfortunately, she can't talk, so we're still trying to figure out a way to understand her. But she understands us, don't you dear?' Meg nodded, smiling a little.

Before Anna started talking again, Tracy broke in. 'It's late, you really should try to sleep, Desirae. We haven't slept much either, so we all should get some shut-eye before morning.'

Everyone found a place to curl up, and I lay back on the straw, which was hard and poked roughly into my back. After a while, I heard everyone's breathing grow steady, and Ginny sighed and rolled in her sleep next to me. But I couldn't sleep. I just lay there, thinking and staring up at the wooded ceiling. I thought about Crystal. Was this what had happened to her? Was she sitting in a dark, damp place, with strangers, not knowing what the next day, hours, would bring?

I didn't actually make it to sleep, I just laid there, watching the small light in the window grow brighter, and listening to the sounds of the others sleeping. About the time the sky had turned from a gray to blue, the bar on the other side of the door slid open, and Tony came bursting into the room. Everyone was instantly awake, apparently after enough practice they were used to waking instantly. But he ignored everyone else and came right to me, grabbing me around the wrists, causing shooting pains to run through the swollen bruises. He yanked me after him through the door and after shutting and locking it, he shoved me towards another room towards the back of the house.

Pushing me into the room, causing me to stumble, he said, icily, 'Clean yourself up. You've got ten minutes.'

I looked around and saw a toilet, sink and a mirror in the small room I was now confined in. A new dress (well, shabby, but new compared to what I was wearing) sat on the sinks edge, and a comb and hair ribbon sat on top of it. The very first thing I did was rush to the sink, and turn on the cold water, cupping it in my hands and drinking as much of it as I could. The water felt soothing on my scratchy throat. How long had it been since I had anything to eat or drink?

Next, I scrubbed my face with the water, and unwrapping my wrists, washed the bruises; then my arms and feet. I couldn't do too much about my hair, but wetting it, I used the comb to detangle the utter chaos it had been. I tied it back tightly behind my head in a bun, and used the ribbon to keep it in place. I looked at my reflection in the mirror. It certainly left something to be desired. But my eyes were directed towards something hanging around my neck. The golden chain and red rose petal sat against my pale skin, causing my head to spin. How had I not noticed that it was there? Stupid, stupid, stupid! I couldn't believe that after all the fuss I had put into not wearing it, the thing had slipped out of my mind. I grabbed the clasp and pulled it roughly off of my neck. There was no way I was going to wear that after what that monster had done to me. I flung it across the room, and it landed in the far corner. Turning away from it, still perplexed, I continued to fuss with the dress, a simple maid's outfit, until Tony came loudly back into the room and grabbed me. He stood me to face him, and looked me up and down, as though evaluating whether I had done a good enough job. I hated the way he seemed to appraise me, but I just stood there submissively, eyes downcast, color rushing to my cheeks.

Just when I thought we were about to leave the room, Tony froze, staring at my neck. A look of horror crossed over his face and his eyes clouded over angerly. 'Where is it?' he growled, staring at me with such a look that I just wanted to get as far away from him as I could.

'Wh..what...' I had no clue what he was talking about. Where was what?

'The necklace. Where did you put it?' he seemed to be growing angrier by the minute, and I couldn't stop my eyes from flicking involuntarily towards the corner where the gold lay. He let me go roughly, and stormed over to the corner, bending down to grab the necklace. My mind flashed to the open door, and I took my chance. I didn't think, I just darted for the door, making it through into the kitchen. The outside door stood not even ten feet away. It wasn't completely shut, but it stood pushed just up against the doorway. I raced across the wood floor, reaching the door. My hand was curled around the handle, but an enormous bang shook the walls of the cabin as Tony's hand reached beside my head and slammed it shut. I froze, my hand still on the handle. I was breathing hard and I could feel Tony's body heat just behind me. But he didn't move, or say anything. He just stood there behind me, breathing deeply, his hand resting on the door just beside my head.

We stood this way for an entire minute, neither of us moving. I was petrified with fear; what was he going to do...

I felt him lean closer, and I jumped when I felt his cold mouth moving against my neck. I could feel the tips of his fangs against my skin as he talked.

'Do not, ever, try that again.' His tone was calm and smooth, but I could hear the definite threat in the voice. 'Now, you are going to leave this necklace on. Do you understand me? And if you ever try that again, I will not be as forgiving. Understood?'

I could barely manage a nod. But Tony didn't seem to care whether I answered him or not. I felt the cold of the necklace back around my neck as he put it on, clasping it behind my bare neck. His hand stayed on the back of my neck, gripping painfully, as he led me back to the door into the room with the other girls. Opening it, he shoved me in, and the door was closed and locked behind me as I sank to the floor in despair.


	11. Chapter 11

Thank you all for reviewing! Eight reviews in less than three days! I'm very excited and appreciative. This chapter I am not going to set a limit. I will post the next chapter soon, but not based on reviews. This chapter I just want you to review if you feel that the story is worth it. So I'm not going to beg, but I will know your opinions by the amount of reviews. Anyways, thank you all again for faithfully reading, and I hope that you enjoy this next chapter!

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It wasn't an hour later that Tony re-entered the room, a chain in his hands. Attached along the length of the chain were six sets of handcuffs, about two and a half feet apart. The other women seemed to shrink backwards, away from the chain. It took me a minute to realize that he planned on taking all of us out this time. He approached Ginny first, and grabbed one of her wrists, forcing it into the iron shackle. Once he was sure she was secure, he continued to attach each of us to the chain by one wrist. Anna, followed by Tina (who tried to spit in Troy's face, and was rewarded with a stinging slap to her face), Tracy, me, then Meg. I looked over at Tracy, inquiring with my eyes. But all she did was shake her head sadly, and look pointedly away.

We were led out of the building and into the waiting cart. Tony drove us to a town like the one that Tristen and I had ridden through, only smaller. Everyone was silent the entire way, the only noise was the clanking of the chain that linked us together.

Tony drove the cart through the city gates and parked it next to a stable, handing the horse over to a stable hand. He yanked the end of the chain closest to Ginny and we all rushed, half falling, half climbing, out of the flat bed. We were led a little ways down the noisy, dusty street to a small white cloth tent. We were shoved through the front, and into the stifling warmth of the enclosure. Standing, looking at us all sitting in a row, connected by the hideous chain, Tony seemed to smirk a little. His eyes flickered to me, and his smile seemed to widen a little, but then he turned away and walked out of the tent.

Through the gap in the cloth I could see him set himself up in a chair just outside the tent. The sounds of the hustle and bustle outside clouded out the conversations that he was having with passerby's. When I was sure he wasn't paying any attention to us inside the tent, I tried to talk to the others to calm my nerves. I knew where we were, and what could happen to us within the next couple of hours. But the more time I spent thinking about it, the more I thought I was going to hyperventilate.

'How long is he going to make us stay here?' I asked tentatively. The others looked nervously at me, then at the door, as though they were afraid to talk.

Ginny was the one who finally answered me. Her voice seemed tiny as she whispered back, 'Usually we stay until around sundown, but it depends on if anyone…' she stopped, looking quickly at her mother, who gave her a reassuring smile. But before any of us could say anything else, Tony got up from his seat, and opened the flap of the tent, showing another man in. This man was absolutely gorgeous. I had never seen another man with his beauty. I sat in awe, captivated by his steel gray eyes. He seemed to be increadably rich, dressed in a silk shirt and riding boots that came up to his knees.

He looked down the row of us girls, evaluating each of us with his eyes, and looking at Ginny and Tracy's hands. When he got down to me, however he paused. His eyes met mine, but I couldn't look into them for more than a minute before I looked away. I could visibly feel his breathing grow heavier, and after a moment, he stood up to face Tony. He nodded, shooting me one last glance before he left the tent with Tony.

Through the gap in the cloth I could see the two of them arguing out front, the man becoming increasingly aggravated. Finally he walked off, but not without glancing back through the door at us. I let out an audible sigh of relief, but Tina whispered to me,

'Don't get your hopes up. He seemed to take to you, and when those kind see something they want, they always get it. Tony's probably just asking an insane price, but he'll be back.' Anger and bitterness seeped through her words, and she looked scornfully through the tent's opening.

We sat in silence for a while; I was just starting to drift off, when my eyes caught movement outside. Tony was talking to a man who was gesturing towards the tent. I could see the man's black hair sticking haphazardly out of the cap he was wearing, and his clothes were shabby, as though he had been traveling for a long time. I breathed deeply trying to calm my nerves, but I was still shaking when Tony and the man walked into the tent.

The breath was knocked out of my lungs, and I felt as though I was going to scream with joy. It was Tristen! But before I had the chance to do anything but take a deep breath to say something, I was silenced by a sharp look from him, and it took me a minute to realize what was happening. Tony didn't know that we knew each other; and judging by Tristen's look, he wasn't supposed to. So instead of jumping up and throwing my arms around him I stayed where I was and kept my eyes downcast, trying to look timid, and defeated like the others.

'So, these are the girls. That one,' he pointed to Tina, 'Is a little she-devil, so be careful. And that one,' he pointed to me, 'is strictly off limits.'

They stood appraising us for another couple of minutes and it was all I could do to keep my emotions off my face. Finally, the turned to climb out of the tent, but Tristen turned and caught my eyes for a split second, as though to reassure me that everything was going to work out.

…

The day passed rather quickly, my mind wondering and thinking about Tristen. A couple of other people came in to look at us, but at the end of the day, when the sun went down, we were all bundled roughly back into the wagon. I was surprised and confused when Tristen rode up beside the wagon on his horse, and continued with us the entire way to Tony's abode.

When we got to the house, Tony instructed Tristen to grab us and follow him into the house. Tristen climbed up into the back, and I'm sure he brushed my hair on his way by. We were pulled (although not roughly) into the house and back into the dirt-floored room. Tony gave Tristen the key and stood at the door while he unlocked our shackles. My breath caught when he grabbed my hand in his. His fingers quickly and inconspicuously caressed the bruises on my wrists, their chilliness soothing the bruises. All too soon he had unlocked the cuff and moved on to Meg. But he had left something in my hand. It was small; a piece of paper folded many times so it could be hidden easily. On the pretense of itching my arm, I pushed it up my sleeve to read later.

…

I waited until everyone had fallen asleep, and by the slim beam of moonlight coming through the window, I pulled out the paper, and opened it, smoothing it carefully across my leg.

'I have been hired to act as an apprentice. Do not fear, I will find us a way out. Act your part, and give nothing away.'

It was short and to the point. But he didn't have any time or space to write much did he? Why was it I was disappointed? It's not like there was anything else for him to say, right?

I took the paper and folded it carefully into a small package again, and caressing it in my hand, I went to the wall. Using my fingers I dug a small hole in the dirt, about six inches deep, and stuck the note inside it. Covering it back up, I pressed the dirt tightly back over the hole, making it seem as though nothing had happened. But I knew differently. Inside that hidden space was hope. A hope for freedom.


End file.
